Wednesday, August 03, 2005

What Does the 'Official' Democratic Reaction to the Bolton Appointment Tell Us?

Certain unnamed elements took me to task for my wildly successful post on 'The Top Ten Leftist Reactions to the Bolton Nomination' (an appointment, actually - my fault). Apparently, there is some confusion that Leftist somehow means an elected official, a well-known public figure, etc., and an insinuation was made that perhaps I played 'dirty pool' by picking comments from the Daily Kos and the Democratic Underground.

The larger point I and many of my commentors were trying to make, however, is that the Democratic Party is, in fact, in danger of being overrun by the nutcases. To make my case, here are some examples of highly placed Democrats and their reactions:

Teddy Kennedy, Senator, Massachusetts: "It's a devious maneuver that evades the constitutional requirement of Senate consent and only further darkens the cloud over Mr. Bolton's credibility at the U.N."

Harry Reid, Senator, Nevada, Minority Leader: "President Bush has decided to send a seriously flawed and weakened candidate to the United Nations. It's an unnecessary result, and the latest abuse of power by the Bush White House."

Howard Dean, Democratic National Committee chairman: "A truly arrogant move. By moving unilaterally to overrule the Senate and appoint a nominee who is being dogged by significant questions about his integrity on intelligence matters, Bush has reduced our nation's ability to cooperate with our allies on the war on terror."

Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader, House of Representives: "For President Bush to use a recess appointment for such a controversial nominee - not because there was a compelling case that Mr. Bolton was the best person for the job, but merely because the President had the power to do it - subverts the confirmation process in ways that will further harm the United States' reputation in the eyes of the international community. The American people deserve better."

We know John Bolton is unfit for the job, with a record of harassment and retribution in his tenure at the State Department. We know he lied to Congress on a questionnaire, saying he hadn't been questioned in any investigations in the last five years when in fact he's been questioned in the CIA leak scandal.

With a public record like that, we can only imagine what the White House is hiding by refusing to disclose his full record.

Admittedly, these professional politicians clean up their language considerably compared to their radical supporters, but the underlying message is the same: the President is accused of deviousness, arrogance, unconstitutional actions, and deliberate concealment of wrongdoing. The nominee has 'a record of harassment and retribution', is accused of perjury, and associated with a pseudo-scandal that some elements of the Left have called treasonous.

We have moved well into Orwellian territory here. Words exist independent of their larger meaning to serve the temporary partisan wishes of those who utter them. Little, if any, thought is given to the national security repercussions of accusing political enemies of the most foul deeds and thoughts.

Meanwhile, Democrats of moderation are routinely spat upon and ridiculed by this election-losing fringe faction that is on the verge of usurping control of the once-proud party. Do I exaggerate? Consider the blogroll of the DNC, yes, the Democratic National Committee itself, now headed by the far-left Howard Dean:

There are some voices of reason on there, sure, such as Kevin Drum's Political Animal and Taegan Goddard's Political Wire. Far more prevalent, though, are foul-mouthed, hateful sites such as the Daily Kos, Oliver Willis, Eric Alterman, and Atrios.

Again, the point is that the inmates are, if not running the asylum, at least in very close contact with those who do; and the keepers of the keys are becoming increasingly beholden to them, financially, and spiritually. Was John Bolton the best man for the job at the U.N? Arguably not...but he certainly is not the figure he has been made out to be by the partisan rhetoric...and we see the same pattern with John Roberts.

When it was directed at the Democrats, President Clinton decried 'the politics of personal destruction'...and he was right. The tendency to demonize our opposition is not new, but it is dangerous, and it divides our nation and can only serve our enemies. It's time for the Democrats to grab hold of the wheel, before the progressives steer the Party right off the road of mainstream America.